By Dennis Okechukwu
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, his former Senior Special Adviser and Counsellor, Jimi Lawal, and five companies over an alleged N8.68 billion CCTV surveillance contract fraud.
The anti-corruption agency disclosed in a statement on Thursday that the defendants were arraigned before Justice Hauwa’u Buhari of the Federal High Court in Kaduna in suit number FHC/KD/93C/2026.
According to the commission, the amended 11-count charge includes allegations of corruption, money laundering, and related offences linked to the award and execution of a CCTV surveillance project in Kaduna State during El-Rufai’s administration.
Also listed as defendants are Singularity Network Security Limited, Solar Life Nigeria Limited, Knowledge Investment Nigeria Limited, Intercellular Nigeria Limited, and Noble Coast Resources Limited. The ICPC further named Bashir El-Rufai, identified as the former governor’s elder brother, as being at large in connection with one of the charges.
The commission alleged that El-Rufai approved the award of a contract valued at N8.68 billion for the procurement, survey planning, design, and installation of a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance system in Kaduna metropolis to Singularity Network Security Limited, despite the company allegedly lacking the requisite qualifications and experience for the project.
ICPC further claimed that funds linked to the contract were subsequently transferred through a network of companies and individuals between 2017 and 2022. The agency alleged that more than N2 billion received through the transactions was reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
One of the charges alleges that El-Rufai, while serving as governor, aided an act of corruption by approving the contract in violation of procurement laws and awarding it to a company deemed unqualified for the project.
When the charges were read in court, both El-Rufai and Lawal pleaded not guilty.
Following their pleas, Justice Buhari adjourned the matter until July 1, 2026, for a ruling on the defendants’ bail applications.
The former governor is also facing a separate case filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations of illegally wiretapping the telephone conversations of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.